ARTICLES ABOUT BROWARD COUNTY BY DATE - PAGE 4

Q: What does your group do? As an independent body since 1976, the Broward County Crime Commission assesses and evaluates crime (and social issues that can matriculate into crime) in Broward County and South Florida and works with the criminal justice system to derive solutions on behalf of the law-abiding citizenry of Broward County. Q: Why do we (or any community) need that? There are 22 citizen crime commissions around the United States, with New York City and Chicago being the oldest, both founded in the 19th century.

By Scott Travis and Leslie Postal and Sun Sentinel, September 17, 2014

Final exams will be given to Broward County students this school year in most every subject and in every grade -- even kindergarten. The new end-of-course tests are needed to meet the demands of Florida's controversial 2011 teacher merit pay law, which requires student test data to be used in public school teachers' evaluations. The abundance of new tests - up to 1,500 could be introduced in the Broward school district, according to Superintendent Robert Runcie - has rankled many parents and Broward school officials.

Pantry shelves are bare at The Salvation Army of Broward County , according to the organization, which has issued an appeal for food donations to help provide groceries for people in need. "Our shelves have never been this empty," said Sally Gress, the organization's director of development. "There are at least 100 people a week who rely on us to help feed their families, and they need our help. " Food donations can be dropped off at The Salvation Army, 1445 W. Broward Blvd.

As deputies arrived, the group of about 50 motorcyclists revved their engines in preparation for their escape. It was just past 10:30 a.m. Sunday on U.S. Highway 27 South, just north of the Broward/Palm Beach county line. Deputies saw the bikes racing at high speeds, weaving in and out of traffic and causing other motorists to pull off the road, according to an arrest report. But when the motorcyclists saw the deputies, they scattered, reaching speeds of 100 mph heading south toward Broward County . All but one got away.

After finding itself in a public relations nightmare last month, a prominent Tallahassee media firm has dropped its lawsuit against the family of a paralyzed Broward County man, the Miami Herald reported Monday. The firm, Sachs Media Group, had said the family of Eric Brody owed $375,000 for four years of public relations and media outreach services. Brody was 18 when a Broward County sheriff's deputy crashed into his car. The 1998 accident left Brody brain damaged. Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/09/15/v-print/4350650/firm-drops-suit-against-family.html#storylink=cpy To read more, go to the Miami Herald . Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/09/15/v-print/4350650/firm-drops-suit-against-family.html#storylink=cpy

In the spring of 1915, when the state Legislature decided to break up what was then known as Dade County and create a separate county, the new tract was to be named for its most notable - and sizable - feature: the Everglades. It only makes sense, since two-thirds of what eventually became Broward County is part of the Everglades. But State Rep. Ion Farris, a Jacksonville Democrat, was speaker of the House. Using that position, he pushed through a name switch, dubbing the new county Broward, after Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, Florida's governor from 1905 to 1909.

For the next year, the Sun Sentinel will become the Sun Centennial - figuratively, of course. During the year leading up to Broward County 's centennial on Oct. 1, 2015, the newspaper will publish a daily feature celebrating the county's unique history, culture and heritage. A lot has happened in a scant 100 years. The Sun Sentinel, which itself turned 100 in 2011, will take you back over the century through historical anecdotes, photos and items of interest that document Broward's journey.

Lots of people wanted to escape the cold of New York, Chicago and Detroit, so why should mobsters be any different? During the 1930s and continuing past World War II, Meyer Lansky and his brother Jake ran posh gambling houses in Hallandale Beach and Hollywood. When Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa disappeared in 1975, Anthony Provenzano, an alleged capo in the Genovese crime family, held an impromptu news conference outside his home in Hallandale Beach's Golden Isles neighborhood. Philadelphia boss Nicodemo Scarfo kept a four-bedroom, waterfront home in Fort Lauderdale, where he tied up his 40-foot yacht Casablanca . At Fort Lauderdale's Galt Ocean Mile in the 1970s and 80s, FBI agents conducted surveillance on the comings and goings of Gus Alex, a high-ranking member of the Chicago mob. When the FBI arrested Chicago mob boss Sam Carlisi in 1992, he was about to board a plane to return to his home in Weston.

Businesses in Broward County are mobilizing to keep funding for children's services they call critical for families, jobs and the local economy. They're pushing for a "Yes" vote on the Nov. 4 ballot to re-authorize a property tax that funds the Children's Services Council of Broward County . The council pumps about $60 million yearly into programs that help one in four children in the county with after-school programs, swimming lessons, family counseling and other services.

In the end, it came down to Texas versus Florida. When dietary supplement maker Stemtech International decided to move its headquarters from California, the company looked at studies to determine the best states for business. In recent surveys of chief executives, California ranked dead last, Texas first and Florida second. On Friday, the company officially opened its new headquarters in Pembroke Pines at 2010 NW 150th Ave. South Florida beat out spots in Texas because of a mix of factors, including low taxes, access to international airports, a multicultural workforce, support from economic development officials and local incentives.